At a special briefing on May 10, Bulgaria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Kondov commented on the latest developments in the relations between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia. Minister Kondov recalled that on May 6, Bulgarian MEP Andrey Kovatchev, Bulgarian Memory Foundation head Milen Vrabevski and three other Bulgarians were denied entry into North Macedonia for a commemoration at a Bulgarian military cemetery in Novo Selo. They received papers by North Mecedonia's border authorities stating that they were on a black list in the border control system. 

On May 9, North Macedonia's Ambassador to Sofia Agneza Popovska was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to Minister Kondov, “Ambassador Popovska's explanation and the press release of North Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry are at odds with the official documents served by the border authorities”. “The argument that MEP Kovatchev was affected incidentally because of other persons who posed a threat to public order is untenable", Ivan Kondov commented, the BTA reported. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry is informing all partners about this unprecedented act, which does not correspond with Skopje's stated intention to work for good neighbourly relations, Minister Kondov further said.

• Skopje explains its actions towards MEP Andrei Kovachev with security measures